Eagle MBB scorched by Scranton shooters in 84-61 loss

(Posted February 1, 2008)

SCRANTON, Pa. -- Juniata College struggled to shoot 39.2% from the field while the host Royals seemingly shot the lights out as the University of Scranton beat the Eagles 84-61, in Landmark Conference men's basketball action Friday night in Scranton, Pa.
The 23-point loss was the worst for Juniata since it suffered a 79-56 defeat at the hands of Defiance College on Dec. 29, 2006.
Juniata (12-7, 5-3 Landmark) connected on only 20 of its 51 field goal attempts, including an 8-of-21 pace from three-point range. Scranton shot better than .500 in each half, and finished the game with a 33-of-58 mark from the floor. The Royals drained 11 of their 19 shots from beyond the arc, but also managed 38 points in the paint.
Scranton (12-7, 4-4 Landmark) used a series of short scoring runs to pull away from Juniata over the course of the game, with the Eagles unable to match the Royal shooters. The margin reached its widest at 35 points, 79-44 at the 5:15 mark of the second half, after a layup by Scranton's Dan O'Connell capped an 11-2 run.
Three three-pointers by Eric Mueseler (Latrobe, Pa./Latrobe) in the final two minutes allowed Juniata to cut the deficit to well under 30 points.
David Thompson (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) paced Juniata with 13 points, with Kyle Opitz (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine Richland) chipping in with 12. Justin Baker (Nanty Glo, Pa./Bishop Carroll) grabbed a team-high seven boards.
Scranton had three players in double-figures, led by Tom Bicknell with 20 points and nine rebounds. Paul Biagioli finished with 16 points.
Juniata will return to action on Saturday when it faces Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa.
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